Miyako trotted through the forest, following the shoreline around the lake till she arrived that the place she knew led up to the cave where Deus-did-it and company lived. Hopefully dropping in unannounced wouldn't catch the family off-guard and maybe she'd get to talk with Zuriel more, the mare thought. That colt was a fun one and just right to be her official sidekick, assuming he wanted the position. His parents might object but, well . . . she wasn't really thinking about that at the moment.
Zuriel laid on his side, enjoying the cushion the soft grass provides as he stared boredly into space. The sunlight filtering in through the canopy warmed his pelt, making him feel rather lazy and sleepy... Plus it was a slow afternoon; nobody was doing anything. His brother was out, his parents were napping in the cave - he would be too, but he had woke up after the weirdest dream... In his dream, he saw fishes walking on land making the most peculiar sound, and then he heard someone familiar going "Dolphins go EEE eee!" However, when he turned to see who it was, he woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Rolling over, the usdia colt let out a sigh, wondering what that dream meant.
Making her way up, Miyako spotted Zuriel and grinned. Awesome! Just the colt she wanted to see. She headed for him and nickered a bit in greeting. "I know you're a horse and all, but why the long face?"
"Eh?" The colt muttered; that was the voice! That familiar voice from the dream! Oh wait, was he still dreaming? Perhaps he had fallen asleep after getting out of the cave? He blinked before realizing that this was no dream - you can't feel anything in dreams but he was feeling warm. Realizing that the voice must come from someone, so there must be someone else around, he scrambled up on all fours and turned around... A familiar voice leading to a familiar figure-
"Miyako?" It was more of a statement that a question, but he smiled happily, glad that there was company, "Did you come to see dad?"
"Um... sort of. I was hoping really to talk to you some more," Miyako said, moving to lie down comfortably. "You're an interesting colt and I enjoyed our last visit. How'd you like to be my official girl friday?" Wait, that wasn't right. "I mean my sidekick."
"Me?" The colt nodded before laying down beside the mare, as he listened. His eyes widened, "But I'm not a gir- Oh..." He raised an eyebrow at her question before letting out a giggle, "Sidekick? I don't know... What if my mum and dad disagrees?"
"Well.. um... what would they disagree about? I'd be around to look after you and make sure you don't get into trouble or get hurt," Miyako explained. "They can think of it as glorified foal-sitting."
"What do I have to do as your sidekick anyway?" The colt asked, curious about this 'position'; perhaps his job was to kick her side? But that hardly makes any sense! He giggled at the thought before smiling up at the mare, "Why don't I go ask them?"
"As sidekick, you'll be my little buddy and help me protect the woodlands from all that is not awesome," Miyako said, nodding. "It's a fairly easy job with lots of downtime and adventures. You can ask your parents."
The colt looked fascinated at the job scope, his rather stubby tail swishing to and fro. He then grinned as he nodded, "I'll take it... Right after I ask mum and dad!" Quickly, he climbed up and turned towards the cave, galloping in; he was barely able to contain his excitement! After a minute, he trotted out with a huge smile on his face. As he returned to Miyako's side, Zuriel exclaimed, "They said yes! I have to stay out of trouble though." He nodded.
"Calloo callay!" Miyako said, getting to her feet. "Now we must plan an adventure. Something close by and without trouble. What would you like to do, young squire?"
"I'm hungry, so lets hunt for some berries?" The colt giggled as he trotted to stand in front of the mare; he had no idea what she had just yelled, but it sounds funny; besides, if they had to go on an adventure, they must first have food in their stomach! He gestured towards his left, "I know there are some cranberries down there!"
"Excellent. You make a wonderful girl friday," Miyako answered, giving the colt a gentle hoof-pat. "Lead the way, for tonight we dine..... on CRANBERRIES!" She struck a dramatic pose, held if for exactly three and a half seconds, then shrugged. "Seriously, though, where's them berries? I'm kinda hungry, too."
The colt giggled at the hoof-pat; it still felt weird and nice at the same time, if that was even possible. His eyes widened at her pose before attempting to strike one of his own - sticking his chest and legs out in a rather awkward position, Zuriel tried not to giggle... And failed. Giggling, he trotted to where he had gestured to before and nodded at Miyako to follow. Starting off in a steady canter, he kept looking back to make sure that the mare was following him before increasing his pace. Over fallen logs and even through bushes in the undergrowth, they soon reached a few cranberry bushes in a small clearing.
"Mm, berries," Miyako said, picking out a spot to forage the berries. "Deeleeshusssss." She looked at the colt. "Your family has a nice set-up here. Good place to live, plent of food, and I live close by. Life is good, eh?"
The colt nodded happily, "Dad said that he found this place with God's grace when I was still in my basket! Then I got confused because mum's name is Grace and if he meant mum helped... And after that, I just got even more confused..." His voice faded away, and he looked a little confused at the recollection. However, he quickly recovered and smiled, "Life is good!"
Miyako smiled at the colt. "Perhaps your father meant with the blessing of the Great Spirit, though.. he could have meant your dam. She would be 'God's Grace' in a way, right?"
"Yes, yes she would," Zuriel nodded with a grin, glad that Miyako didn't rejected the idea of there being a God - his brother kept questioning and questioning... It was getting quite frustrating sometimes! He nosed through the berry bush, sniffing at berries. He then bit into one, pulling it off the plant; thankfully, it was ripe, sweet and juicy. He had the unpleasant experience of eating an unripe berry before... The sour taste exploded in his mouth and refused to go away till he ate some bitter bark... Then there was the taste of bark to get rid of.
"I love berries!" He exclaimed happily as he pulled another one off the bush, "Mum loves them too!"
"Berries are awesome," Miyako agreed. She munched on the little fruits, looking around. "What would you like to do after we eat?"
"Lets just rest..." The colt replied; now that his belly was full with berries, he felt rather tired. It might be because although the sun was out, it was still cooling due to it being spring... Perfect weather for a quick nap! He yawned as he laid on the ground, his eye lids heavy, "Maybe... A nap...?"
Miyako fwumped down next to the colt, yawning. "Yes, a power nap sounds just like the thing. Good suggestion, sidekick." She layed her head down, dozing off.
Reply
